Process for the continuous manufacture of ice cream and similar frozen products



Oct. 18, 1932. J, GLAUSER 1,882,660 PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS MANUFACTURE OF ICE CREAM AND SIMILAR FROZEN PRODUCTS Filed Feb. 13,- 1929 3 Sheets-$heet 1 INVENTOR Oct 18, 1932. J 1 GLAUSER 1,882,660

PROCESS FOR THE CONTlNUOUS MANUFACTURE OF ICE CREAM AND SIMILAR FROZEN PRODUCTS 'Filed Feb. 13, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Oct. J GLAUSER 1,882,660

PRQCESS.FOR THE CONTINUQUS MANUFACTURE OF ICE CREAM AND SIMILAR FROZEN PRODUCTS Filed Feb. 15. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Oct. 18, 1932 I 1,882,660

-"UN1TED STAT-ES PATENT orrica JOHN J'. GLA'USE'B, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA raocnss' son TEE cournroous MANUFACTURE or ICE CREAM AND SIMILAR rnoznn raonoo'rs I Application filed February 13, 1929. Serial No. 339,573.

The object which I'have in view is the con- Fig. 3 is the opposite end elevation oi the tinuous manufacture of ice cream and the machine. like for the purpose of efiecting substantial Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the upsavings in time and also in labor costs, and permost cylinder showing the paddle-conalso the production of a greatly improved veyer mechanism and the drive. grade of product. i Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the The material consisting of flavored cream line 55 in Fig. 1. or other liquid is caused to pass through a Fig. 6 is a detail showing one of the paddles plurality of compartments wherein it is suband its shaft. 11c jected to refrigeration, as for instance with Fig. 7 is an end view of the paddle-conveyer brine or liquid ammonia, and is agitated, the mechanism shown dismounted. agitation or beating being at first at a rela- Fig. 8 is a detail view in section along the tively slow ratexto prevent the formation of line 88 in Fig. 5, showing the outlet for the butter from the cream, but the speed of agiintermediate cylinder. Tit; tation being progressively increased as the Fig. 9 is a detail in section along the line process of solidification proceeds. 9-9 in Fig. 3, showing the inlet ot the inter- The material is discharged from the last mediate cylinder. compartment of the machine in semi-solidi- Referring to the drawings, 1 and 2 reprefied state, suificiently fluid to permit its consent apair of vertically disposed stands rising 20 veyance, into cans which are then placed in from a base 3 to which they are rigidly conthe hardening room for complete solidificanected. tion before the product is ready for use. Said stands are provided with circular For the accomplishment of my process I openings which are alined in pairs so that a have invented a new and improved apparatus plurality of horizontally disposed cylinders 25 which comprises a plurality of horiz ontally indicated at 4a, 4b and 40 as three in number disposed cylinders connected in series and may be supported in position by their extenpreferably in superimposed relation, the cylsion through said openings. inders being subjected to refrigeration as by Said cylinders comprise an outer. cylindrimeans of brine circulating about their walls. cal wall 5 and spaced inwardly thererrom an 30 The material, such as the flavored cream inner cylindrical wall 6, and provision is 8 is first introduced into the uppermost cylmade for the circulation of a refrigerating i'nder and is conveyed in turn through the fluid or liquid between said walls. other cylinders, being discharged from the Thus I have shown a helical partition 7 lowermost cylinder employed. interposed between the concentric walls 5 35 it provide novel means for beating the maand 6. terial in the cylinders and for conveying it The ends of the space between the outer through the cylinders, the beating and conand inner walls may be closed by the'internal veying being at a relatively slow speed at flanges 8 of the outer wall. The ends of the first and progressing in speed from the inlet cylinder are closed by the heads 9 and 10, 49 to the outlet of the machine. respectively, which heads may be secured in Other novel features of construction and of place, as by the swing bolts 11. arrangement of parts will appear from the The materials used for the cylinder walls, "following description. 7 the helical partitions and heads should be a In the accompanying drawings, wherein metal or other material not subject to corro- 43 T have illustrated a practical embodiment of sion or rust. 5 the principles of my invention, Fig. 1 is a A. pipe 12 leading from a supply of brine front elevation of the machine. or other refrigerant connects to one end of Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same look-- the helical passage between the walls of the ing from the left in Fig. 1 and illustrating upper cylinder 40: and the other end of said 5 the paddle-conveyer drive. passage is connected by a pipe 13 to the correconnected to a port in sponding end of the helical refrigerant passage of the intermediate cylinder 46. The other end of said passa e is connected by a pipe 14 to the corresponding end of the helical passage of the lowermost cylinder and the other end of said passage is connected by the return pipe 15 to the refrigerant supply. us a continuous current or circulation of refrigerant is maintained within the double walls of the cylinders.

The temperature maintained in the cylinders is preferably from about zero F ahr. to seven degrees below zero. a

16 represents a supply pipe leadin into one end of the uppermost cylinder 4a. aid pipe connects to an inwardly flaring port 17, similar to the port 170 in Fig. 9Q

The pipe 16 may connect to a mixing tank for the cream or other material to be worked, and it may be provided with-a valve 18 to shut off or control the rate of flow.

The outlet for the cylinder 4a is at its op site end and is in the form of an outwardly tapering port 19, similar to the port 19a in Fig. 8.

aid port 19 has connected thereto the pipe 20 whose lower end is positioned above the funnel-like upper end of a pipe 21 whose lower end is connected to the port 17a, Fig. 9, in the head 10 of the cylinder 46. This port is preferably below the center of the head.

Above the center of the head 9 of the cylinder 4b is an outlet port shown at 19a in Fig. 8, which is connected by a ipe 22 to a port, similar to the port 17a in ig. 9 in the head 9 of the cylinder 40. Above the center of the head 10 ofthe cyl- 1nder4c a depending discharge pipe 23 is said head similar to the port 19a in Fig. 8.

The product discharged from the pipe 23 is received into cans or other containers or receptacles and stored in the usual hardening room.

It will be seen that the travel of the material 4 is from left to right in cylinder 4a, from right to left in cylinder 46, and from left to right in cylinder 40.

I provide means for both agitating the ma- ,terial in the cylinders and for conveying it through the cylinders.

Thus I employ in each of the cylinders paddles mounted on a shaft disposed axially of the cyl nder, said paddles being provided with the proper inclination to the plane of the axis of rotation to produce a conveying effect, and working next to the interior wall of the cylinder I provide a plurality of helical blades revolving in the opposite direction to the paddles.

In Fig. 1 I have indicated the paddles and their shaft in dotted lines in connection with the intermediate cylinder 46 and the helical blades by dotted lines in connection with the top cylinder 40.

The paddles 24, which are preferably provided with knife impact edges, are mounted on an axial shaft 25 whose one end is journaled in a ball bearing carried by a box 26 which is bolted over a central aperture in the head 10 of the cylinder. The bolt holes in the box are slotted so that the shaft may be properly centered relative to, the cylinder The other end of the shaft 25 is nested in a tubular sleeve 27 which extends inwardly through a gland 28 in the head 9 and is journaled in a bearing 29 in the center of the said head 9 of the cylinder.

The end of the sleeve 27 has mounted there on within the cylinder and adjacent to the cylinder head 9 a hub provided with radial arms indicated at 30, and a similar hub with radial arms 31 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 25 just within the cylinder head 10.

Spanning the space between the pairs of arms 30 and 31 are the helically disposed blades 32 whose outer edges are knife edges which work close to the inner wall of the cylinder, the paddles 24 being short enough to clear the helical'blades 32.

Erected on the base 2 are the twin stands 33 provided with vertically slotted openings 34 35 represents bridge pieces or shelves connecting the stands 33- and on said shelves are mounted the housing boxes 36, one for each cylinder.

The sleeve 27 of each cylinder extends into the housing 36 and has its end provided with a bevelled gear 37 whose hub is journaled in a bearing 38, preferably a ball bearing in the wall of the housing. The shaft 25 prolonged through the housing and is provided with a bevelled gear 39 opposed to the gear 37 whose hub is ournaled in a bearing 40 in the opposite wall of the housing.

41 represents a shaft disposed at right angles to the shaft 25 and journaled in a sleeve bearing in a third wall of the housing.

The inner end of the shaft 41 is provided with a bevelled pinion 42 in mesh with the pinions 37 and 39.

Each of the three shafts 41 have mounted on their outer ends a sprocket, shown at 43a, 43b and 430 respectively.

The intermediate shaft 41 is also provided with a small sprocket 446 while the lowermost shaft 41 is provided with a small sprocket 440.

The sprockets 43a and 44?; are connected by a chain 45a. The sprockets 43b and 440 are connected by a chain 45?). The sprocket 430 is connected by a chain 46 with the driving sprocket 47 of a variable speed motor 48 which may be mounted on the bed 3.

The diameters of the sprockets are so graduated that speed of-the paddles and blades are increased from top to bottom of the machine, those of the topizcylinder preferably revolving at about 400 P. M.; those of the a. snarp angle intermediate cylinder at about 500 R. P. M.-, and those of the bottom cylinder at about 600 R. P. M.

It will be noted that because of the provision of the sets of opposed gears 37 and 39, the shaft 25 and its paddles 24 will be revolved in the opposite direction to that of the helical blades in the same cylinder, the paddles and blades having opposite pitches so that both will have a conveying action on the material from the inlet to the outlet of the cylinder.

Also the paddles and helical blades in the intermediate cylinder have reverse pitches to those of the paddles and blades in the top and bottom cylinders so that the material will conveyed from right to left in the intermediate cylinder instead of from le t to right.

One or more ofthe radial arms 36 at the intake end of a cylinder, which work past the inlet port in the cylinder head, are given as illustrated at 30a in Fig. 9 to act as an impeller to draw the material into the cylinder, and likewise one or more of the radial arms working past the outlet port are turned as at 310. in Fig. 8 to act as an expeller.

Below its center the head lll'of the top cylinder 4a is provided with a drain port to which is connected a depending drain pipe t9a. The lower portion of the head 9 of the cylinder ab is also provided with a drain port which is connected to a depending pipe 49?) whose lower end is positioned above-the funnel-like upper end of a pipe 190 whose lower end is connected to a port in the adjacent end 9 of the cylinder 40. The lower portion of the head 10 of the cylinder 4:0 is provided with a drain port which. is connected to the drain pipe 49d. Each of said pipes is provided adjacent to its inlet end with. a gate or closure 50.

In operation, the cream or other fluid material, preferably at a temperature of not more than 40 Fahr., is admitted to the top cylinder to through the supply pipe 16, the rate of flow being regulated by means of the valve 18.

The speed of movement of the agitating and conveying means operating in the cylinder 4a is so regulated that the cream is not churned into butter but the process of solidification is such that the crystals are broken up and the material as it leaves the top cylinder and enters the intermediate cylinder is smooth and uniform in consistency.

The material flows from the cylinder 4a through the pipe 20 and across the gap into the pipe 21, the consistency and the condition of the material being thus exposed to observation. The gap between the pipes 20, and 21 also permits the entrance of air which is required to puff up the cream and prevent "it becoming too dense and heavy when fully frozen. The open upper end of the pipe 490- along provides an air-inlet for the bottom cylinder 40, thus providing the requisite supply of air to the bottom cylinder.

During its passage through the intermediate cylinder, the material is agitated at a greater speed, as the danger of butter formation is much lessened, and the material when it passes from the intermediate cylinder lb into the bottom cylinder 40 is in a semi-solid state.

In the bottom cylinder the agitation of the material is' accomplished at a still greater speed, thus resulting in a very light and finely grained product which leaves the bottom cylinder in an almost solid condition, just about fluid enough to enable it to be conveyed by the paddles and helical blades.

The material received. from the bottom cylinder into cans or other receptac es or containers and removed to the hardening room.

lVhen a run of the machine has been completed, the gates 50 are opened and the remaining material allowed to drain out of the cylinders which are then scalded out with hot water, the paddles and blades being meanwhile rotated.

With the use of my improved process and apparatus a greatly increased output is made practical and but one operator is required. The product is of much smoother and more even texture than has hitherto been possible.

What I desire to claim is p 1. The process of manufacturing ice cream and the like which consists in causing a continuous flow of the mass of material, agitating the mass during the first portion of said flow at a predetermined rate while subjecting the same to refrigeration. and agitating said material thereafter at a higher rate but below the butter forming rate while still subj ecting it. to refrigeration.

2. The process of manufacturing ice cream and the like which consists in causing a continuous flow of the mass of the material, agitating the mass during the first portion of the flow at a predetermined rate below the butter forming rate while subjecting the same to refrigeration, and agitating the material thereafter without interruption of the continuous flow at a higher rate but still below the butter forming rate while still subjecting it to refrigeration.

3. That process of manufacturing ice cream and the like which consists in causing a continuous flow of the mass of material a predetermined path, agitating the flowln material at various points throughno I out said path, while maintaining the agitation below the butter forming rate, said agitation of the flowin material at certain points in its path belngjincreased but still below the butter forming rate, the material at eachpoint of agitation.

4. That process -'of manufacturing ice cream and the like which. consists in causing a and chilling 4- a 1,asa,ooo Y continuous flow of the mass of material along a predetermined path, agitating the flowing material at various points throughout sai path while maintaining the agitation below the butter forming rate, said agitation of the flowing material at the later points in its path being increased, but still below the butter forming rate, chilling the material at each point of agitation, and admitting air to the material between successive agitation points.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa., this 12th day of Feby., 1929.

JOHN J. GLAUSER. 

